A Knight’s Best Friend

What do Braveheart, First Knight, and Robin Hood have in common? If you were thinking that all of these movies are set in the Medieval period and have awesome fight scenes, then you hit the bull’s eye! And what empowers a skilled fighter to go into battle are the weapons they use. In the Medieval period, there were many weapon choices, from axes to spears to flails, but one of the most common was the dagger. Just as a dog is known to be man’s best friend, so a dagger was known to be a knight’s best friend.

The word “dagger” refers to a short knife, with either a single or double-edged blade and are some of the earliest knives dating back to antiquity. They were commonly used in Medieval times in close combat, as a secondary defense weapon. The length of the dagger ranged between 6 to 20 inches and Medieval daggers were often so long that they were considered small swords. The purpose of these weapons was piercing, thrusting, and stabbing, and they could definitely do some damage.

Medieval Dagger with Crusader Cross:

Similar to today’s culture where options lie before us, Medieval knights also had preferences. When selecting a dagger, one could use a Bollock dagger, also known as a Kidney dagger, possessing a distinctively shaped shaft and two oval swellings at the guard, resembling genitalia. One could also use a Dirk, a Scottish variation on the Bollock dagger. If one wanted to be seen as stylish, there was the Basilard, which had a long bladed, two-edged dagger, often worn with armor, and sometimes viewed as a fashion accessory. For you were a fierce knight, the Misericorde could be a prime weapon. This dagger had a straight and narrow blade, with only one cutting edge and a triangular section. Knights used this dagger to administer a fatal “mercy” blow to the mortally wounded. If one desired to be in the “in crowd”, there was the Roundel, which was the most common dagger. It was long, with a single edge, and a circular shape for the hand guard and pommel. And for the left-handed folk, the Main-Gauche was a parrying dagger used with the rapier and held in the left hand. As you can see, daggers in Medieval times were quite the industry, offering something for everyone!

Become a knight and join the fight! Check out our selection of daggers and other Medieval weapons here: www.armorvenue.com